


The Constant

by anglmukhii



Series: otayuri week 2017 [6]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Day Six: Rivalry, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, OtaYuri Week, OtaYuri Week 2017, rivals to friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-26 23:04:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9928019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anglmukhii/pseuds/anglmukhii
Summary: At first, Otabek was a threat. Then after the timely rescue on the back of a motorcycle, he became his friend. From there, the lines blurred and they fell in love.But there was one thing that always would remain the same: On the ice, they were rivals.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Day 6, we're reaching the end of Otayuri Week! Okay so AU where everything is the same except Yuri saw Otabek as a rival earlier on. Enjoy!

Yuri squinted his eyes as he saw the boy execute his jumps flawlessly. Wasn’t particularly flexible but his skating was expressive. He was focused on the presentation itself rather than the technical, but even that was flawless. Otabek Altin from Kazakhstan, that’s who he was.

When the scores were tallied up, he had only beaten Otabek by a hair’s width. Literally, he had beat him by .08 of a point. That was way too close for comfort. Before this competition, Yuri hadn’t even heard of him, but now he would be his biggest threat and rival. He needed to work even harder to widen that margin.

There was no way in hell he was going to lose to some newbie.

He and Otabek had never actually talked, but Yuri decided that he didn’t like him. He had a reputation for being quiet and didn’t really mingle with other skaters. He was probably full of himself and annoying. He probably thought he was too good for all of them. Yuri always managed to beat him, so he had the satisfaction of imagining that it hurt Otabek’s ego each time.

The first time Yuri did say anything to him was, “Looking forward to getting your ass kicked by me again? Because I’m looking forward to it!”

The older boy just looked at him with the same blank expression that he always wore. It grinded his rails to no end. Yuri knew better than that, it made him look arrogant. He didn’t care though. Aside from the pretty gold medals that decorated his home, beating Otabek with larger and larger margins gave him great joy. Rubbing it in his face would have also, but the Kazakh skater never seemed fazed by it. And it annoyed him to no end.

It pissed him off even more when at this latest competition, he heard a “Davai!” from the guy. What the hell? What was he playing at? Was he trying to psych him out? Yuri was sure as hell not going to let that happen!

He missed a quad but added in another one towards the end of the program. Yuri was not blessed with limitless stamina, but he made up for it with flexibility and grace. But still, it took its toll on him and he very nearly collapsed on the ice. He was going to be really sore in the morning, he could feel it.

Well he still beat out Otabek. He found himself sticking out his tongue at him when he was sure no one was watching them. He could stand to be a little immature once in a while. It probably was driving Otabek crazy and Yuri enjoyed nothing more.

* * *

 

At times like this, Yuri wished that he wasn’t a famous athlete. His legs were still sore from the competition yesterday, so to run from his rabid fans required will. All of his willpower went to running. What had he done to deserve such ill-behaved fans? Why couldn’t they just leave him alone? Couldn’t they just spam his Instagram and cheer him on at competitions like everyone else’s fan bases? Well, he couldn’t be so lucky. Life just couldn’t be all good.

But these girls were downright psychotic. They’d memorized his scent, what the hell? How could anyone be so oblivious? Would it always be like this?

“Yurachkaaaa~!” one of the girls sang out. “Where are youuuu?”

“Shit, shit, shit!” he cursed out, literally backed into a corner. He couldn’t hide there forever. He wondered what the chances were of making it back to the hotel without being mauled by them.

He heard the low buzz of a motorcycle then and he turned to see one stopping right in front of him. His jaw dropped when he saw that it was Otabek. He tossed him a helmet.

“Why would you?” he asked in a low voice so that the girls wouldn’t hear them. But it was too late, the motorcycle had given him away.

“Yurachka!” the same girl squealed out.

“He’s with Otabek Altin of Kazakhstan!” another one shouted out.

Otabek didn’t seem to be paying them any attention as his eyes never left Yuri.

“So are you coming or not?” he asked in the same flat tone.

Yuri would’ve scowled or spit in his face but he was about to get run over by a mob of his most rabid fangirls. His life or his rivalry. Well, one was more important than the other at this very moment.

He found himself hopping on the back of the motorcycle, at first not grabbing onto Otabek, but realizing he would fall right off if he didn’t so he did it. He’d take a shower later to wipe off the filth.

When they were at a far enough distance, Yuri had to ask the question.

“Why did you save me back there? And how did you find me?” 

For a while, Otabek didn’t answer and all Yuri could hear was the traffic and the hum of the motorcycle. Finally, “I saw you running off and decided to follow you before they trampled you.”

Okay, but that didn’t answer why.

“But why…?” he pressed making sure the irritation was obvious in his voice.

Otabek didn’t answer and kept his full attention of the road. Yuri wanted to kick him, he wanted to kick him so bad. But that might be a bad idea considering they were riding through a busy street. Contrary to what anyone thought, Yuri did think before he acted every now and then. Particularly when the cost outweighed the benefits.

They rode until they were somewhere Yuri wasn’t familiar with. Then again, Yuri wasn’t even that familiar with the city he lived in. He didn’t care about exploring all that much. He’d have to reconsider that when he got back.

“Do you remember that summer camp five years ago,” he finally answered. And Yuri stopped dead in his tracks at the question.

“Huh, that was random?” he answered, waiting for Otabek to elaborate.

“We were at the same summer camp five years back,” he went on to specify.

Now Yuri was just confused. He had indeed attended a summer camp, a couple actually. But he would’ve remembered Otabek. Right?

“Really? I don’t remember that!” he responded. There was no hostility or defensiveness in his voice. Just surprise.

“At the time, I was in my first year in the junior division. But I couldn’t keep up with the Russian junior skaters, so I was put in the novice class. That’s where I met you. Yuri Plisetsky had the unforgettable eyes of a soldier,” he continued.

“A soldier? Me?” a blush was creeping on his face now. Really? A soldier? Him? After all the times he had mocked him, stuck his tongue out at him, and kicked his ass in competition? There were no resentments? There was even a hint of admiration in Otabek’s tone!

“I had just moved my home rink from Moscow to St. Petersburg. I was desperate. I’d decided that I wouldn’t complain until I was good enough,” he found himself saying.

“After that camp, I moved around to train, from Russia to the US and then to Canada. I only managed to return to my home rink in Almaty last year. Now, more than ever, I want to win the championship for Kazakhstan,” he said, looking out into the distance.

That great and all, but why tell him? They were rivals and competitors. What did Otabek have to gain by talking to him.

“Otabek, why did you talk to me? I’m a rival, aren’t I?” he finally asked, repeating his thoughts nearly word for word.

“I’ve always thought we were alike. That’s all. Are you going to become friends with me or not?” was his answer. But Yuri was really caught off guard by the question, so much so that his mouth hung open.

Friends? He and Otabek? Friends? He felt his brain short circuiting at that. No one had really ever asked him if he’d wanted to be friends. Now his rival, Otabek Altin, was asking him to be his friend?

Did not compute.

But somehow, he still managed to grab Otabek’s hand and shake it. Is that how friendships were born? A handshake?

Yuri couldn’t say that he hated it.

And then they found themselves at a café. Yuri hadn’t remembered the last time he’d smiled or laughed like that. Contrary to everything Yuri had presumed, Otabek was actually really laid back. The stoicism was just how he was, not many things really got under his skin. He also preferred solitude despite having a lot of friends. He didn’t think he was better than anyone else, he was just a private individual.

Yuri could respect that.

He was apparently a DJ in his spare time. Even if he didn’t need to extra money, he really enjoyed doing it. Apparently he was good at it too.

“Woah, really?” he found himself grinning.

Today’s lesson: Rivalry and enmity didn’t necessarily go hand in hand.

* * *

 

Otabek had come in fourth. What the hell? The system had to be rigged because there was no way in hell that Otabek, who had executed his programs flawlessly, lost to JJ. He didn’t care if JJ’s programs had higher technical difficulty, he screwed them both up.

But it seemed that Otabek wasn’t all that upset about it. If he was, he was doing a damn good job of hiding it.

“It’s not fair though! Your programs were flawless! How the hell did they figure that JJ, whose skating deserved last place, deserved the podium more than you!” he was fuming now. “It’s corruption I tell you!”

He’d only been friends with Otabek for all of two days, but he was seething for him. Getting to know him and finding out that he was actually a decent human being had been enough to get Yuri to stand up for him. He’d never felt that way about another person before.

“What can you do? There are more competitions coming up. The skating season is nowhere near over. I’ll have plenty of opportunity to get my revenge,” Otabek reassured, winking at the younger boy.

Yuri smirked at that, “You better. Because I’m still going to kick your ass.”

Otabek chuckled, “You’re on.”

The friendship and rivalry continued on. And not just through that season but every other season after that. Instead of fueling his rage and irritation, Otabek motivated him in a positive way. Sometimes Otabek beat him, sometimes Yuri did. But Otabek was the only person Yuri ever accepted defeat from because that just pushed him to do better next time.

Still, the playful insults and jabs continued.

“You’re expressive, but you have the flexibility of a rock,” Yuri said, smirking.

“And you’re not expressive enough, being a rubber band helps but not enough,” Otabek shrugged.

“Meh,” he stuck his tongue out at him.

“You know I’m right,” he smirked.

* * *

 

And somewhere between competitions and the playfulness, Yuri found himself falling in love. Maybe it was the way that he could always be himself around Otabek. Maybe it was the way their rivalry in competition had made him strive to be better. Maybe it was all of the above.

But it happened and when it did, Yuri found himself embracing it. He thought he would fight it, chase it far, far away from his mind. But he liked the way it made him feel. He liked the warmth of it all.

And he didn’t have to hide it either. Because the lines had begun to blur as well. They started hanging out a lot more. Each summer, either Yuri would visit Almaty or Otabek would visit St. Petersburg. They saw each other and competitions a lot and they were constantly texting each other. He dared to think that there was flirting involved. And then one thing led to another. They had never officially spoken on it, but the dates, late night motorcycle rides, and the cuddling made it pretty clear where they stood. Oh and the soft kisses too.

But if one thing had remained constant, it was the rivalry between the two of them. It had evolved into something better.

“I’m totally going to kick your ass tomorrow,” Yuri repeated the words he said before every major competition. He was resting his head on Otabek’s lap, silently scrolling through his Instagram.

“Hmm, keep telling yourself that,” Otabek answered playfully. He had been running his fingers through Yuri’s hair.

Yuri smirked, “I will, because it’s true.”

“Who knows? It’s the first competition of the season. I just might surprise you,” he looked down at him and winked.

“Heh, Beka, you always surprise me. If there’s one thing about you that always drove me crazy for better or for worse, it was that. That’s why I made you my rival,” he confessed.

Otabek’s brows shot up. Yuri had never told him that. Sure he had always wondered why in their younger years was Yuri so openly hostile towards him, but he never knew why for sure. He never really asked because of their upgrade to friendship and subsequently lovers.

“Really? Well I saw you as a rival because you inspired me. And I aspired to beat you,” he, in turn, confessed.

Yuri wasn’t surprised by the answer but he was touched. It made the butterflies in his stomach flutter.

“Well, I’m still going to beat you tomorrow,” he continued to smile, his blush coloring his cheeks.

Otabek grabbed his hand and kissed it, “You’re on Yura.”

And that was a promise…

**Author's Note:**

> Okay this is the last of the canonverse stuff, tomorrow is the one I've been looking forward to writing for a long time. So here's to the final stretch. 
> 
> As usual, this'll be posted to my Tumblr, same name as here!


End file.
